After several minutes of skinning, carving, and harvesting every useful part from the fallen Anima, the once majestic predator now looked less like a ruler of it’s territory and more like a butchered carcass abandoned by scavengers.
It’s hide had been stripped away, it’s claws had been removed, it’s saber fangs had been extracted, and even portions of it’s mane and at had been carefully harvested.
What remained sprawled across the temple floor was little more than a mutilated husk surrounded by drying pools of black blood.
The four stood nearby with two crude beastskin sacks resting beside them...
Using sections of the Anima’s own hide, Regaleon had fashioned makeshift carrying bags large enough to contain their spoils. The craftsmanship was rough, but functionality mattered far more than the appearance.
For a brief mont, the silver-haired Knight remained still; blood stained his gauntlets, dark streaks marked his damaged Armour, and his golden eyes slowly swept across the ruined sanctuary one last ti.
Eventually, his gaze settled upon the headless stone knight standing near the shattered altar.
Even after centuries of neglect and the violence of the recent battle, the ancient statue remained frozen in eternal vigilance.
Regaleon studied it silently...
The temple still held countless mysteries which includes...
Who had built it?
Why had it been placed here in the Crimson Forest?
What purpose did the statue truly serve?
And most importantly, why did he feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he looked at it?
But unfortunately, none of those questions could be answered today.
The group was exhausted, their injuries were accumulating, and their Aether reserves had nearly been drained dry.
Most importantly, they still had companions waiting for them and he wouldn’t want them to start worrying about their well-being.
Regaleon looked away from the statue. He hoisted one of the sacks over his shoulder before turning toward the others.
"Let’s go." He stated simply.
"Aargh... Finally." Vaelorin said while stretching his aching back until several joints cracked loudly.
Then, the failed Pyromancer draped Valmyr’s arm over his shoulder and helped support the bulky youth.
anwhile, Kaeloris reluctantly bent down and lifted the second sack. The mont he did, his knees nearly buckled...
Clearly, the contents inside were far heavier than they appeared.
Still, he gritted his teeth and endured the load...
Valmyr could barely walk, and Vaelorin was already supporting him. That left only Kaeloris, and naturally, the burden fell upon him.
The quartet ignored the Drake’s corpse laying several ters away in one dark corner as they made their way toward the massive doorway through which they had originally entered...
Then abruptly, they stopped before it as the door was closed. They had expected it to remain open but it seems that wasn’t the case at all.
Vaelorin released a long sigh and groaned. "Aargh... Not this now."
Regaleon set his sack down. Stepping forward, he planted both hands against the ancient slab and pushed...
But nothing happened as the door remained completely motionless.
His brows knitted together as he stared at it. When they had first entered the temple, both he and Valmyr had forced the door open through sheer effort.
Now, however, Valmyr was barely standing, and the rest of them weren’t in a much better condition.
Still, Regaleon pushed harder; muscles tightened beneath his damaged Armour, veins bulged beneath skin... And yet, the stone remained unmoved. In fact, it didn’t even tremble in the slightest...
Kaeloris adjusted his glasses and finally spoke.
"Perhaps there is so kind of chanism to open it. You know, the builders wouldn’t manually move a door this large every ti they used it."
His suggestion made sense, so Regaleon stepped backward and carefully examined the structure.
His golden gaze swept across the edges of the door; at first he saw ancient cracks, weathered stone, layers of accumulated dust, until finally, he noticed sothing different.
One brick protruded slightly farther than the rest. The difference was so subtle that most people would have overlooked this discrepancy entirely.
Regaleon stared at it for half a second, then he moved to press it inward...
Imdiately, a deep rumble echoed throughout the sanctuary; dust cascaded from above, the enormous slab groaned, and then slowly, it began sliding aside...
Seeing this, understanding finally dawned upon him. The Anima hadn’t forced the door open through strength alone, it may have also discovered the hidden chanism and used it to get through to the waterfall Cave.
Without wasting any more ti, Regaleon retrieved his sack and said. "Let’s go."
And with that, the four passed through the doorway once more...
Behind them, the ancient temple remained silent and monts later, the massive door slid shut again.
The deep rumble echoed through the corridor, as though the temple itself was sealing away the battle that had occured within its destroyed walls...
Several minutes later, the quartet arrived at the underground intersection once more.
They stopped at the mouth of the passageway before observing the junction. Before them stretched three tunnels with each one looking identical to the other...
The failed Pyromancer looked from one tunnel to another and scaryched the back of his head confusingly.
"Uh, guys. Where did we co from again?"
Regaleon’s golden eyes examined the ground as he looked for traces of the Drake’s trail.
After a few monts, he pointed toward the left passageway. "It was that way..."
Regaleon took the lead and walked toward it before the others imdiately followed.
At this point, nobody possessed enough energy to start a conversation and the journey through the tunnel was considerably quiet than before.
This was not because of danger; in fact it was quite the opposite. The danger has passed, but its effect still lingered.
Their muscles ached, their wounds throbbed, and every step taken felt heavier than the last.
The silence lingered for quite so ti as they walked through the passage that once more seem to have no end in sight.
Eventually, a familiar sound reached their ears; it was the sound of rushing water.
Imdiately, the quartet imdiately straightened, and unconsciously, their pace increased.
The tunnel widened, light appeared ahead, fresh air drifted inward, and then finally... They erged from the passage.
The waterfall greeted them once more; silver water cascaded from above, mist drifted through the air, the lake below reflected the crimson sky overhead, and green vegetation swayed gently in the breeze...
The sight was still as picturesque as ever, and for several monts, none of them spoke.
After spending so much ti underground and fighting in a ruin, the simple sight before them now felt strangely refreshing...
Valmyr inhaled deeply, and the scent of damp earth filled his lungs. Then, a broad grin spread across his face.
"Aetherium..." He muttered. "I almost forgot about how beautiful this place truly is."
Nobody disagreed with him as they also felt the sa way. A sensation of relief washed over them; it was a pure, uncomplicated relief.
The kind that only appears after surviving sothing that should have killed you...
Unfortunately, the feeling did not last long as a familiar voice suddenly echoed through the area.
"AH, AURELEAH! I REALLY CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"
The quartet froze, then they turned their heads toward the source...
A mont later, another frustrated shout followed.
"If I have to practice one more martial stance again, I swear I’m jumping into the lake!"
Kaeloris adjusted his glasses as a slight chuckle escaped his lips.
Clearly, they all recognized who that voice belongs to...
And sohow, just hearing that annoying but familiar voice made the tension lingering in their chest disappeared entirely...
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